It’s the big one for Celtic as destiny is in their hands as they aim to progress in the Champions League.
Celtic host Young Boys on Wednesday night at Parkhead and you couldn’t have hand-picked a better opponent given the issues the Swiss champions have faced this season.
Not only are they struggling on the domestic scene – sitting ninth in a 12-man league – but Young Boys are also bottom of the 36-team Champions League group and are yet to record a point.
The task for Brendan Rodgers and Co. is pretty simple, just get the job done because you don’t want to be heading to Villa Park next week needing a win to secure play-off football.
Those who finish from ninth to 24th will progress to a two-legged play-off, where the winner of those ties will then be handed a last-16 spot and join the rest of the automatically-qualified top eight.
As of this moment, Celtic are sitting 23rd, with Manchester City and PSG below them – the English and French champions play each other on Wednesday night.
Aston Villa won’t rest players against Celtic after Monaco loss
It depends on how you want to read Aston Villa’s defeat to Monaco on Tuesday night because, on the one hand, it showcases their fragilities and puts pressure on them for the final game.
Unai Emery was raging post-match because he thinks the Midlands side have blown their chances of securing a top-eight spot and automatic qualification into the last 16.
And Celtic-mad Alan Brazil feels it makes that trip down south ‘harder’ because Villa won’t rest players now knowing that they need a win, as he told talkSPORT (22/01/25 at 7:50 am).
“Looking at it now, you would think, Villa would have to beat Celtic for the top eight,” stated McCoist.
Brazil responded: “It makes it harder for Celtic. It was always going to be hard, but now Villa, they can’t afford to rest three or four players. They have to beat Celtic.”
Ally McCoist labelled ‘salty’ as Celtic push for Champions League play-off
But before Celtic can think about that Villa match, just get the job done against Young Boys, as Ally McCoist feels ‘you have to beat them’.
The former Rangers man also claimed that the champions of Scotland will progress to the next stage, but it will prove to be their ‘last phase of the competition’.
But Celtic-mad Brazil and Shebahn Aherne, his co-presenters, were having none of it and they defended the Bhoys.
Aherne labelled McCoist ‘salty’ because Celtic are in Europe’s elite competition, whilst Brazil reminded his fellow countryman of what trophy sits in the Parkhead cabinet room that Rangers will never win.
“We have got to beat them,” stated Brazil and McCoist added: “You have to beat them. To be fair to the two of you (Alan Brazil and Shebahn Aherne). You have had a great draw. It was a dream draw for Celtic. It was an absolute dream draw for Celtic and you have handled it fairly well.
“I am looking at that team. They haven’t got a point. They have got a minus-19 goal difference. You have to be taking three or four off them. Your next phase/last phase of the competition. Well done.”
Aherne responded: “Come and talk to us when you are in the Champions League, then Ally. We have got to look at Manchester City, who are below us.”
Brazil also fired shots, as McCoist laughed in the background: “Have you never seen that big cup and trophy room at Parkhead, Ally? You know that big, big one.”
Aherne added: “He is just a salty man today.”
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